For example, an image display device comprising a diffusion-control liquid crystal panel and a liquid crystal display panel has been proposed. The diffusion-control liquid crystal panel can switch a state between a lens formation state of diffusing linearly polarized light, oscillating in a predetermined direction, of light having directivity in a specific direction, and a non-lens formation state of transmitting the light while maintaining the directivity of the light. In the lens formation state, a plurality of small liquid crystal micro-lenses are formed by applying a voltage to a liquid crystal layer.
Apart from the above, various technologies for forming the lenses in the liquid crystal layer are known.